The companies anticipate the transaction closing in the first half of 2011.

“We believe this transaction maximizes Beckman Coulter shareholder value while strengthening the company's position as a leader in biomedical testing to the benefit of our customers and their healthcare patients around the world,” Beckman CEO Bob Hurley said in a statement, calling the process “very comprehensive and competitive.”

Beckman would become part of Danaher’s Life Sciences & Diagnostics division, teaming up with Danaher’s Leica, AB Sciex and Radiometer businesses.

“Beckman Coulter is an iconic company with a great brand, broad reach and technology leadership; well positioned in the markets it serves,” Danaher CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., said in a statement.

The deal news drove Danaher’s stock up 4.5% to $50.15 ahead of Monday’s open. Beckman’s stock was up 10% to $82.60.